Nearly 200 people packed onto a United Airlines flight may have been exposed to coronavirus by a passenger who became mortally ill onboard — and now health officials are trying to find the travelers, according to a report.
The scary incident unfolded Monday as Flight 591 traveled from Orlando to California, according to TMZ.
The man, who had claimed to the airline to have been COVID free, became suddenly ill and began shaking and sweating before losing consciousness.
Fellow passengers leapt up to do CPR, including Tony Aldapa.
“From the point I got there ’til the fire department got on board, it was at least 45 minutes,” Aldapa told TMZ. “There was no mouth to mouth at all, we were doing chest compressions.”
A compressable oxygen bag attached to a mask was used to breathe for the dying man.
The plane made an emergency landing in New Orleans, where the man was taken to a local hospital. The flight was allowed to continue on. The man died a short time later.
The man’s wife had been overheard on the plane saying her spouse had COVID symptoms, and the CDC later reached out to United in a bid to locate the people who had been on the plane.
All the passengers were asked to fill out a questionnaire attesting they did not have COVID-19, but no one is required to show proof, according to TMZ.
